To Make a Dream Come True
by Honest Beauty
Summary: Sequel to TC. It's Chibiusa's 18th birthday and senshi have come up with the perfect gift for her. To make her dream of her perfect date a reality. But Helios doesn't want to work with them! Read for why he's balking C/H Censor of Perfect Night pls r&r th


To Make a Dream come True

By: Honest Beauty

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I do own this plot though.

The month of June was ending in Crystal Tokyo and currently, its rulers were meeting with the inner senshi, trying to come up with the perfect birthday gift for a certain Princess Lady Serenity.

"Just wondering, how old is she turning anyway?" Jupiter asked. "I want to know how many candles to put on her cake."

"Well, chronologically, she 914 tomorrow. But physically, she'll be 18." Mercury replied after fiddling around on her minicomputer for a minute.

"Okay, so 18 candles it is." Jupiter stated as the she and the others sat down at a small meeting table.

"Okay, anyone have any good ideas for a good 18th birthday gift?" Serenity said, getting excited.

"Well, I know she'd love to be able to celebrate it with the asteroid senshi." Mars said thoughtfully.

"Good idea, Mars. Mercury, will you contact Pluto and inform her that they should be back by tomorrow morning?" Endymion asked. Mercury nodded and made a note on her minicomputer.

"Hey I've got a great idea guys!" Venus exclaimed, her light blue eyes lighting up. As everyone stared at her, Venus reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out a small bottle.

"What is it?" Serenity asked, her silver pony tails shifting as she cocked her crowned head.

"This is one of the oldest and best spells that the royal line of Venus had. It's a potion that, when drank, will cause the drinker to dream of his or her perfect romantic scenario, with either their soulmate, if they have one, the person she or he is in love with, or what his or her dream man or woman would be like, depending on the situation." Venus said happily, placing the small glass bottle on the table.

"Would that be more tormenting her though?" Jupiter asked. "Especially if she can't be with her dream man."

"No because she'll forget the whole thing once she wakes up. All she'll remember was that she had a very good dream."

"So how can we use this spell as a gift?" Mercury asked.

"Well, we can set up a 'window' to view her dream, observe it, and then have Heli—I mean her dream man make her dream a reality!" Venus finished, grinning. Around the table the others were smiling and nodding.

"That a great idea, Venus!" Mars said then paused. "But would Serenity's parents allow Serenity and her dream man to make the dream come true? Especially if it involves sex?" the raven haired woman asked, looking at said parents.

"We're fine with it. You know what we were like when Usako and I were younger." Endymion commented.

"And besides, we all know who Serenity's soulmate is: Helios. It has to be, Venus felt it in the past, as well as Mars. That and Diana's reported to me that she sometimes hears Serenity mumble Helios' name in her sleep sometimes." The older Serenity stated.

"I know I can trust Helios with my daughter's life. And I know Helios would never break Serenity heart or hurt her in any way." Endymion said.

"Venus, are there any side effects we should know of?" Mercury asked the blonde. Venus frowned and consulted her memory.

"Uh, yeah. Her mind and soul will be completely vulnerable while she's under the spell. The spell can't work unless the dreamer has all mental barriers completely down." Venus said.

"Well what can we do about that?" Jupiter asked.

"Somebody else can be in the dream with her, she won't be able to see him or her of course, but if we get Helios to be in the dream in spirit, couldn't he protect her mind and soul?" Venus ended with a question.

"And kill two birds with one stone. He'll know exactly what she wants." Serenity said, nodding her approval.

"And we can tell him afterwards what our plan is. We wouldn't want his mind to be overloaded now would we?" Mars put in. everyone nodded.

"Then it's a plan." Serenity stated happily. Everyone stood and prepared to leave.

"I'll go down to Elysion and tell Helios. After all, we all know how stubborn he can be. Since I'm his king, he will have to obey a direct order from me." Endymion said. Serenity nodded, remembering the white haired teen's will very well. Endymion nodded and left for Elysion.

Once there, Endymion was greeted by Helios' handmaidens, Aurora and Eos.

"Good morning ladies. Where might I find high priest Helios?" Endymion asked the maenads politely.

"This way Your Majesty." One of them said softly as both led the way to one of the dream temple's many gardens. Ironically enough, it was a rose garden, filled with every color of rose imaginable. Endymion could even see green, teal, true blue, violet and black blossoms.

"Helios, good morning." Endymion called as he spotted the priest. Helios turned on his bench and rose quickly. The maenads left discreetly and Endymion mimed for Helios to stay put as he threaded his way over to the young man who was physically about 19-20 now. The priest bowed respectfully to the taller man.

"Good morning Your Magi—"

"Helios, use Endymion, please." The black haired man said, sighing.

"As you wish, Endymion." Helios said, dropping the formal tone he had been using and settling for the usual friendly one he used when addressing his king. "What brings you to Elysion this fine day?" he continued.

"I have a favor to ask of you." Helios cocked his head, intrigued.

"What kind of favor, Endymion?" the teen asked, a smile curling his lips. Endymion saw that the smile looked a bit forced, but since he had consulted the maenads on the way over, Endymion wasn't too worried. He decided to keep their (senshi, king and queen) true intention for Helios a secret, so as not to tip Helios off to their plan.

"Well, Venus is giving Serenity a potion that will have her live the perfect night or day with the man of her dreams. Venus informed me of the unfortunate side effect of this potion. She will have absolutely no protection from mental attacks or invasions. Therefore Helios, because you are the high priest of dreams, I'm ordering you to enter her dream and protect her mind for her. You will have create a barrier around her mind and watch her dream closely as to make sure a evil spirit doesn't invade, and if it do, I know you will be able to destroy it. You will be invisible to her though, the potion will not allow her to see or hear you. Nor will you be able touch her or her dream man at all."

As Helios listened to his king's order, the teenage priest paled quickly, the smile faded from his face and he felt his heart tighten painfully. He had stopped visiting Serenity's dreams and talking with her, for fear of her dreaming of the one she loved or wanting to gush about her crush to her friend Helios. The teen was convinced that Serenity only saw him as a friend and nothing more. That she would never love him as he loved her. So, wishing to spare himself heartbreak and having to falsely tell Serenity he was glad for her to find love, Helios closed himself off from her.

The maenads had reported to Endymion on the way over at his request. They told him that they had seen Helios crying silently in secluded corners of the rose gardens a few times over the past year, and that he constantly dreamed of her and never smiled anymore. He would fake smile as to not alarm anyone or spread his gloom. But he was forever mumbling her name in his sleep and his eyes were sad. But, the maenads and Endymion both thought Helios was upset because he couldn't be with his love in person. _Well that's about to change._ Endymion thought. But Helios' response a moment later confounded him.

"My king, please don't make me do this." Helios pled to his king.

"Why, Helios? Are you not the high priest of dreams, and therefore the one best suited to protect the heir to the sol system in her most vulnerable time?" Endymion questioned, puzzled, a slightly hard look creeping onto his face and into his tone.

"Yes, I am." Helios whispers.

"Do you not love her Helios?" Endymion continued in a softer tone, perplexed at the teen's reaction.

"I…yes…but…" The young man seemed to be having trouble putting two words together, and looked faintly like a cornered mouse.

'Then why do you beg me not to have you do this?'

"I…" Helios was too afraid to state the truth, that he was afraid that this task would break his heart. A lump in his throat prevented him from speaking and Helios struggled not to let his emotions show on his face. But his eyes are open doors to his soul, and Endymion could see Helios' love for his daughter lurking within those amber orbs. Endymion smiled in his mind but carefully didn't show it on his face. He tightened his lips in determination instead. _So, playing shy and stubborn are we? _Endymion mused.

"Enough, Helios. You are to enter my daughter's dreams on the evening of June 29th, as soon as she falls asleep, guard her mind, and keep a close eye on her dreams. If you refuse to do this, you will be disobeying a direct order from your king, which is treason. And, as you know, the punishment for treason in this case is death. Please don't make me do that to you. I don't to have to do that to you, you're my friend as well as subject, but if you disobey, you will leave me with no choice. Do you understand me?" Endymion commanded and ended with a question, trying to convey his desire not to have to kill Helios.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Helios stated, keeping his back straight, his shoulders square, eyes dry and voice steady with the greatest of efforts.

"Good. And Helios the potion will allow us to have a window of sorts into her dream, which we will be watching all night. And the mirror will show you to us, even if she can't. Good day, Helios." Endymion disappeared with a swirl of his cape.

Helios just stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds, trying unsuccessfully to calm the maelstrom of emotions inside him. Feeling himself losing control, the teen turned and almost ran to his room. Seeing his door and feeling the tear he trying to prevent creeping up on him, Helios did run the last bit. Locking the door with shaking hands, the teenage priest leaned up against the door, suppressed sobs shaking his wiry frame, Helios clenched his shaking fists and ground them on the wood as hot tears slipped past his tightly squeezed eyelids. He stepped away from the door, casting a muffling charm around the room so nobody would be able to hear him, Helios walked slowly to his bed and sat heavily on the edge, burying his face in his still shaking hands.

As the salty tears slipped down his smooth jaw line, Helios' fingers automatically moved up past his forehead drop, which was the symbol of his status as high priest of dreams, past his hairline to a certain patch of hair. There was nothing really unusual about this particular part of his head, but Helios knew it was the only remaining symbol of how Chibiusa had saved his life so long ago.

_I'll never forget that day. That was the best day of my life, even considering the fact that I died and was possessed by Nehelenia. That was the day that my maiden told me she loved me. But she's no longer my maiden, a girl in the throes of her first love, she the beautiful, gracefully lady she dreamed of being, no longer my maiden, and no longer in love with me._ Helios thought, remembering how he had watched her grow and mature into the beautiful woman she was now.

"Rena." The name slipped past his lips before he could stop himself. That was what he had taken to calling Serenity, when she had shed the name of Chibiusa, and she had loved it when he had first called her that. But he hadn't visited her, let alone called her Rena in almost four years now. That reminder brought his wandering mind back to his current crisis.

"My, king you don't know what you are ordering me to do. You're ordering me to commit suicide." (If someone's heart shatters, the pain, trauma and strain will literally stop the person's heart, killing him or her rather quickly.) Helios knew that if he did as he was ordered and saw Serenity's dream and her dream man, his heart would shatter and he would be dead before morning.

"Either way, you're going to die, Helios. You might as well do it accomplishing something important. Protecting the one you love from anything that would wish her ill." Helios told himself out loud as he dragged himself to his feet, and stumbled over to the bathroom to wash away the damage.

That evening, Helios dressed in a fresh set of his priest robes, nodded to his handmaidens and left Elysion, his deep amber eyes dull. After he had pulled himself back together earlier, Helios had erected the strongest, tightest barrier he could around his mind to prevent anyone from reading him. He walked into the palace and created a very minor illusion, to prevent anyone from seeing what he really looked like. Walking into the throne room Helios bowed and joined the inner senshi and Serenity's parents.

"You made it in good time, Helios. Thank you for being prompt." Serenity said, smiling at the white haired priest.

"Where do you wish me?" Helios asked keeping diamond hard control over himself.

"Follow us, please, and we will get you settled. The princess is just getting ready for bed." Mercury said, checking her visor, which connected to a camera in the princess' bedroom.

All seven headed to Serenity's room, but stopped short before they reached it. Turning to the wall opposite the princess' door, the group entered a small room. There was a pillar of energy near the back wall and chairs ringing a large milky orb in the first half of the room.

"The pillar will support your body and you will be able to position your body however you wish." Mars said gesturing that Helios should enter the pillar. He did so, folding himself into a cross-legged position, hovering so that his eyes were still at the same level they were when he was standing.

Earlier:

Mars had checked on Helios a couple hours before he was to arrive via Mars' psychic abilities. What she discovered worried her enough that she had gone to Endymion. When she had arrived in the king's office, Mars found that Venus was there as well, discussing the spell with him.

"I'm worried something might happen to him. Only once or twice has someone actually done what Helios is going to do tonight." Venus was saying. She then paused and let Mars speak.

"Endymion, you need to be careful. There is something not quite right with Helios. I don't know what it is, I can't read him. He's got his mind locked up tighter than anyone's I've ever encountered." Mars said. Endymion frowned slightly as he considered the two senshi's information.

"I see, have Mercury wire the pillar so that she can monitor his body, to make sure nothing happens. And have her put a life support system in there, so she can manually keep him alive, just in case something happens that puts Helios' life at risk."

"Thank you Endymion. I'll tell Mercury." Mars said and left. Venus stayed.

"Endymion, I looked up what would happen if the spirit of the person the dreamer loves enters the dream, that person will not be able to leave it, even if they want to, nor will he be able to 'close' his 'eyes'. So even if Helios' body tries to die or his heart shatters, unless he actually does die, his spirit will remain locked within her dream until she wakes. So don't worry if Helios's body starts to move or he speaks, he will not abandon her dream, because he can't."

"So if he panics and tries to return to his body, he won't be able to. Good, this way, I won't have to charge him with treason. I was worried about that." Endymion sighed and looked like a load was taken off his shoulders.

Back in the present:

Helios watched the senshi and royal couple sit down around the orb. Once they were settled, Mercury spoke up.

"Serenity is just entering sleep. The potion will take effect in a few seconds."

"Alright, Helios, that's your queue. Go." Endymion commanded and watched, puzzled as Helios paled, but closed his eyes. The youth started glowing with opalescent light and his body stiffened then relaxed abruptly. All eyes then turned to the orb where they could see the beginning of Serenity's dream. Helios suddenly faded into existence. Now things would get interesting.

Helios arrived in the garden right below Serenity's bedroom balcony, out of the way, yet able to observe everything. He swiftly put a shield up around Serenity's mind and soul. Then he turned his attention to her dream.

Dream:

Serenity was standing on her balcony in her royal pink dress and a black cloak in her arms. She watched the garden intently, looking for someone. Then a cloaked and hooded man on a pure black stallion trotted up to her balcony. Helios couldn't see the stranger at all, but Serenity obviously recognized him and had been expecting him.

"Serenity!" the man called, Helios hearing him perfectly. He didn't recognize the voice, but knew it to be a tenor. (Helios has never heard his voice recorded, so he doesn't know that is his voice. Your voice sounds different to you than what everyone else hears.)

"My beloved you came!" Serenity cried softly. Helios winced, but hid the fact that his heart just cracked slightly. _I won't allow them to see what's happening to me._ Helios thought stubbornly. This was the same reason why the priest had shielded his mind so tightly when he had arrived in Crystal Tokyo.

"Of course I came. Come before your parents or the senshi discover us." Serenity nodded, threw the cloak on, and climbed down the thick ivy covering the wall next to her balcony. The man maneuvered his horse so that she could climb down onto the beast. She settled side saddle style in front of the man and hugged him around the waist. The man kissed on the forehead, and, snaking his arms around her, grabbed the reins.

The dream man nudged the horses sides, sending the pair racing out of the garden and the palace altogether. Helios followed by air, floating after them. He was easily able to keep up with them. Soon the pair reached a forest. Entering it, the man led the horse onto a hidden path.

"Where are you taking me love?" Serenity asks as Helios felt his heart crack for the second time, making him gasp involuntarily, but he was able to hide it quickly. Throughout this Helios was unable to take his eyes off of the pair before him.

"Some place special. You'll see in a minute, Rena" as Helios heard his pet name for Serenity being uttered by that man, Helios' eyes blazed in anger even as his heart fractured once again. It felt like a demon was stabbing him with a white hot knife and Helios' knees shook slightly, his chest heaved, he grabbed above his aching heart as a light sheen of sweat dotted is brow. Helios wiped his face hurriedly and followed the retreating pair, praying that Serenity's dream wouldn't actually shatter his already cracked heart.

Outside:

"Something's wrong with Helios." Endymion said suddenly as all six saw him arch forward slightly, grab his chest and gasp, even as his knees shook and his forehead started to sweat. A moment later though, he had recovered, or so it looked. Mercury did get up and go over to the pillar. She fiddled with something on the wall and a screen was projected next to the column. The screen showed Helios' heartbeat and sounded softly with each beat. After a quick once over, Mercury returned to her seat, a troubled expression on her face.

"Well?" Serenity asked, worried.

"Something isn't right, but I can't pinpoint it. His body is sweating and trembling every so often though."

"We'll just have to see." Mars said, but Jupiter frowned.

"Guys, what if he doesn't realize that the cloaked man is him? He may not recognize his voice, even if Serenity does."

"I'm not sure. I didn't expect for her to have him cloaked. We can only hope that Helios recognizes his voice, Serenity calls him by his name, or his hood is removed." Venus stated as they all turned their attention back to Serenity's dream.

Inside:

The pair came into a beautiful moonlit meadow. There were wildflowers, soft thick emerald grass, and a sparkling pond in the corner. The man dismounted, managing not to let his hood fall. He then helped Serenity dismount, who pulled her hood off and shook her rose colored tresses free, as she stared in wonder around the clearing.

"It's beautiful, love" Serenity whispered turning to face her dream man. He stood a few inches taller than her, the same height as Helios actually, but Helios didn't notice that, on account of the new pain piercing his chest, leaving him trembling and leaning against a nearby tree.

_Please, no more. Let the dream end now. Kami, this is killing me_ Helios thought as the man stepped closer to Serenity.

Outside:

"Guys, it's his heart! It's breaking! He loves her, but he must think that she doesn't love him. And he obviously doesn't realize that the man is him!" Serenity shouted, her hand on Helios' chest, who was now crying silently, his face contorted in pain and curling in on himself, his legs falling from their crossed position.

"Oh Kami, Helios is going to die if he doesn't find out soon that that's him under the cloak!" Mercury exclaimed, her face pale.

"Can't you get him out of there, Venus? Or at least tell him that the man IS him?" Jupiter asked.

"No, he's locked in her dream, because it's him she's dreaming of. There is no way we can reach his spirit while he is still in it." Mars exclaimed

"And I can't end the dream right now. It's too dangerous." Venus stated flatly.

"Why?" Endymion asked.

"They'll both die from the shock and trauma of the spell being ended too abruptly."

"So we just have to hope that the dream Helios' hood gets removed or she says his name before the real Helios dies." Serenity said softly as everyone looked back into Serenity's dream.

Inside:

"Not half as beautiful as you Rena." The man whispered, and tilted her head up, slipping an arm around her waist. Helios couldn't take the pain anymore. Not caring that he was committing treason, that he would be killed for doing this, Helios fled her dream and back into his own body. Or tried to. But he found that he could not leave, no matter how hard he tried. He discovered that he couldn't even close his eyes, turn away or cover his ears from the scene in front of him.

Serenity rose up onto her toes and her man leaned down, capturing her lips in his. The kiss was mercifully short, but it still drove Helios to his knees, tears of agony pouring down his face, legs unable to support him, they were shaking so bad. And still he couldn't look away.

"I love you, my Rena" the man whispered, trailing the back of his right hand down her soft cheek. Serenity leaned into his touch. "I want to share my love with you, tonight."

_Oh Kami, no._ Helios thought agonized; he knew what the man was talking about. And he just knew that Serenity would agree. _Please, Serenity __don't__ say it, don't speak those words. You'll kill me!_ Helios screamed in his mind, knowing it was futile as he saw Serenity's eyes and face light up with joy and her lips part.

"I think that's the best idea I've heard all day." Serenity stepped closer, slipping her slender arms around his chest. Helios cried out aloud in pain, knowing his heart was close to shattering, as he fell to one hand and his knees, one hand still clutching his heart. He kept his anguished amber eyes trained on the only woman he ever loved and still loved to this moment, and prayed with all his might that she wouldn't say those three small words.

"_Rena Stop! Don't say those words! Rena, NO!"_ Helios yelled in his mind, not realizing that he had actually yelled out loud as well. Just Helios finished, Serenity's spoke.

"I love you, H—" Helios barely heard the sound of the 'h' as the man cut her off with a kiss.

As an anguished scream tore itself from his vocal cords, Helios felt his heart shatter into a thousand bleeding pieces as he collapsed, stiffening body curling into a fetal position and both hands clutching his heart. The pain was excruciating, it consumed his whole body like a firestorm consumed a forest.

_Kami,__ just let the pain__ end. Just let me die._ Helios pled, unconsciously directing all of his power to death will himself. But something was fighting him, trying to keep him alive. Helios, desperate to just escape the inconceivable pain he was feeling, lashed out against whatever it was, destroying the obstacle to his death, and the peace it held for him. But as he felt his heart slow and his body shut down for good, Helios found the dream still had him trapped. Even as he lay there dying, Helios couldn't take his tear filled eyes off the kissing pair, no matter how hard he tried to make himself look away or close his eyes.

"R-Re...na." Helios whispered brokenly, his vision finally fading as blessed, numbing blackness started enveloping him in a soft embrace. Just before he lost consciousness, Helios saw the man's hood and cloak finally fall.

Helios' eyes widened to their limit as he saw who the man was. It was him; right down from the white curls to the priest's robes. Realizing in an instant his horrible mistake, Helios desperately tried to pull himself together and regain full consciousness.

_She loves me. She truly loves me. I can't die, it'll break HER heart. I have to live damnit!_ Helios swore, fighting to stay alive. But mending shattered hearts isn't easy, nor is staying alive when your body experienced something as draining and traumatic as a heart shattering. The once peaceful, welcoming blackness now threatened to strangle him. But he fought it, fought it with all his strength, his will, love and passion to live, even as his heart faltered and his pulse slowed even more and his lung straining to fill themselves.

_Meanwhile_

"Helios!" Endymion shouted in fear for his friend as his eyes remained glued on Helios' body. Everyone but Mars, who was watching the orb, was converged around the pillar and its occupant. Just a second ago Helios' body had yelled out "_Rena Stop! Don't say those words! Rena, NO!"_

But now it had twisted from its crossed-legged position into a tortured fetal position, and was convulsing as a scream of mortal anguish was ripped from his vocal cords. Even more terrifying than his scream was the way it suddenly died as if cut by a knife and the way his face paled dangerously. Mercury started typing furiously into her computer, even as she thanked Kami she had soundproofed this room, as the others looked on helplessly.

But a second later, something even more alarming happened. Helios' body went limp and his breathing had become shallow, irregular and rapidly decreasing in frequency. The heart monitor beeped only sporadically and weakly.

"What's going on Mercury?! You said this thing would prevent him from killing himself." Serenity questioned urgently as Mercury typed furiously on her computer.

"It should, but he's fighting it. Helios possesses an enormous amount of power. And right now he is focusing all of it on ending the pain, on killing himself." Mercury shot back as an alarm shrilled a warning.

"What was that?!" Endymion demanded.

"That was the life support system's failure alarm. Helios just destroyed the whole system." Mercury replied distractedly as Endymion's black brows shot into his hairline at the teen's display of power.

"R-Re...na." everyone started as the weak whisper left Helios' lips. Endymion stared at the priest, but Helios said no more, paling even more instead.

"Oh Kami, Serenity pull off dream Helios' hood now!" Mars begged the orb, knowing Serenity wouldn't hear her. Mars could see Helios lying on his side, rapidly fading eyes still locked on the kissing pair in front of him.

Then, miraculously, Serenity did indeed cause dream Helios' hood and cloak to fall off. Everyone but Mercury crowded around the orb, and saw the real Helios' eyes widen to their limit. Suddenly a new light gleamed in his eyes and everyone could see he was now fighting death instead of welcoming it.

"Guys, his pulse is still decreasing, and his heart is getting dangerously close to stopping altogether. I don't know if he can prevent himself from dying!" Mercury's high, shrill voice rang out. All but Mars turned to see Helios' slack body and rapidly paling face and Mercury's almost frantic one. The heart monitor then abruptly shrilled that Helios had flat lined.

"Out of the way!" Jupiter shouted, racing over to the young man's limp body. Mercury scrambled out of the way as Jupiter skidded to a stop in front of Helios. She quickly placed her right hand over his heart and narrowed her eyes in concentration. Almost immediately, a thin stream of green lightning shot down her arm, through her hand and into Helios. The white haired priest's body jerked and gasped then stilled again. The heart monitor blipped twice in rapid succession then returned to the continuous tone signifying no heartbeat.

"Once more Jupiter. Exact same amount." Mercury commanded. Jupiter obeyed, delivering the second shock in the exact same spot. Helios convulsed, coughed and then breathed deeply. The monitor blipped crazily for a second then settled into a continuous stream of blip that signified a steady heartbeat.

"Guys come look!" Mars exclaimed pointing into the orb. Helios had sat up and was rubbing his chest, breathing deeply and occasionally coughing, but he was regaining the color in his face. Everyone cheered.

Inside:

Helios could feel himself losing consciousness, but he still fought. Except he didn't have any energy left, his heart wasn't beating and his vision was consumed by darkness.

Then, suddenly Helios felt a large jolt of something, electricity it felt like, strike him through the heart. He gasped involuntarily, and felt the oxygen flood his lungs. But the relief didn't last long. His heart still refused to work like it should and he started fading again.

Then, like a gift from Kami, another jolt hit him, and this one got his heart working properly. Abruptly coming back to himself, Helios coughed and gasped as he opened his eyes. He saw that he was still in his Rena's dream and that the dream him was still kissing her. Helios sat up, rubbing his sore chest and breathing deeply, his lungs spasming in a cough occasionally.

After he got himself under control, Helios saw that the other him had snuck a hand under Serenity's dress to grip her butt. Serenity was similarly occupied. Blushing furiously, Helios nevertheless watched his dream self closely.

_This is what she wants to happen. I know now Endymion's other reason for choosing me. I can actually make this a reality for her._ Helios thought, taking note of everything 'he' did. The priest continued to pay close attention throughout the rest of the dream.

Finally the dream started collapsing around him, signifying that Serenity was waking and the potion was finished. He felt himself fade from the dissolving dream and soar back to his own body.

Outside:

Helios suddenly stirred and his eyes fluttered as the orb dissolved along with Serenity's dream.

"He's waking up!" Helios heard Endymion exclaim in a relieved tone.

"Oh good!" The older Serenity said as he groaned and opened his eyes. Blinking at the sudden change in brightness, Helios glanced around. All six people in the room were crowded around him, all of them with relieved smiles on their faces.

Gingerly, Helios straightened, breathing slowly and deeply to calm his racing heart. Slowly, the teen stepped out of the pillar leaving its antigravity environment, planted both feet on the ground… and promptly collapsed as his knees gave out on him.

"Whoa! Catch him!" Jupiter exclaimed as Endymion did just that, snaking his arms around the young man's chest and going to one lavender clad knee. The king half carried, half dragged Helios away from the pillar and over to the nearest wall. He then lowered the young man to the ground carefully, propping his back up against a wall. Helios, his body still in shock, was able to do nothing but watch and mutter a weak 'thank you'.

"Helios, are you alright? How are you feeling?"Mercury asked, concern etched on her face.

"Frankly? I feel like shit." Serenity raised her eyebrow.

"You must be feeling pretty awful, you cursing." The queen observed dryly, then sobered.

"Helios, I want to apologize. We thought you knew Serenity's feelings for you, we assumed that you two had been visiting every night." She said. Helios flushed and looked away in shame.

"Actually, I haven't been in Serenity's dreams for almost three years. I had been afraid that she saw me only as a friend and that she would find love with someone else. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that, so I closed myself off from her."

"So that's why she would cry herself to sleep. We thought it was because she was upset because the two of you couldn't be physically together." Endymion stated as Helios paled.

"She cries herself to sleep? Oh Kami, what have I done?" Helios groaned covering his face with a hand.

"Hey, she's not mad at you okay? Just make sure her birthday is a good one okay?" Serenity said, nudging the now blushing priest.

"Yeah. I never knew she was that…knowledgeable about those types of things." The white haired teen mumbled then looked up at his king and queen. "You don't mind if I do this?"

"Of course not. Endy and I did that when I was only about 15 or 16. You're fine, and in fact, encouraged." Serenity said, grinning. Helios blushed harder and nodded.

"Now, Helios you're coming with me to the palace infirmary so I can make sure there's not going to be any lasting damage." Mercury ordered, standing up. Helios sighed but obligingly levered himself to his feet. This time he was steady on his feet, even when he straightened his clothes. As Mercury was checking the hallway to make sure the princess was still in her room, Venus stopped Helios.

"Hey, Helios, we'll come by later to discuss the finer points of your 'gift' okay?" she said with a wink. Helios managed not to blush again as he nodded, then followed Mercury out of her room.

"I'll say this for Serenity. She's one lucky girl if Helios manages to make even just the first half of her dream come true." Jupiter said, regarding the closed door.

In Serenity's bedroom:

Serenity woke up abruptly, shooting into a sitting position. Her face was flushed, her breath fast and passion flooding her system. Oddly enough she was crying as well, just a little.

"That was the best, most realistic dream I've ever had. But if only it were real, damnit!" Serenity moaned as she tried to relive the dream. But the dream stubbornly slipped from her memory like water cupped in one's hands. The only thing she remembered was Helios' voice calling her 'Rena'. Serenity's heart ached as his pet name for heart echoed in her mind. Like Mamoru's 'Usako' Helios called her 'Rena'. No one else even knew about that name, and Helios always greeted her in her dreams with it.

Or, he had. But suddenly, shortly after her 14th birthday, Helios had stopped visiting her. Now that she thought back to it, he had seemed a little down, like he was hiding an emotional wound from her, and that he had been holding himself back.

_Well, moping about the past won't do any good at all. I'd better get up and get ready before everyone storms in to say happy birthday._ The pink haired teen sighed, and crawled out of bed. To her embarrassment, she discovered that her underwear were wet.

_WELL, I know what __**kind**__ of dream I had last night then._ She thought wryly as she headed over to her bathroom. Ten minutes later she reemerged, and walked over to her closet. Deciding to wear her pink formal princess dress for once, Serenity quickly pulled the silky dress on.

After redoing her hair, Serenity slipped her matching shoes on, and just in time. A knock on her door was her only warning. Turning she saw her mother, father, the inner, outer and asteroid senshi walk in. after them came Luna, Artemis and Diana all in human form.

"Happy Birthday, Serenity!" the all called in unison.

"Minna!" Serenity shouted, happy to see her court. They had been off with the outer senshi training and she hadn't heard from her in a while. "Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, you're all back!" she rushed over and embraced her friends.

"We just got back in at oh dark thirty this morning." Ceres said, speaking for all but the inner senshi.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Serenity said then turned to her mother. Launching herself into her mom's arms, Serenity shouted, "Happy Birthday Mama!" this led to everyone wishing Neo-Queen Serenity a happy birthday as well.

"Come on Serenity let's get down to breakfast!" Juno said, tugging her friend's arm impatiently. Laughing the princess obeyed as the whole group headed downstairs.

In the palace infirmary, Helios had just finished breakfast and was now asleep, catching up on some much needed rest, as well as letting his body recover. Mercury had drawn the curtain around his bed and forbade anyone from looking past it.

Later in the afternoon, the inner senshi and the royal couple visited the now awake priest.

"You look a lot better, Helios." Serenity said in obvious relief.

"I'm fine. But I was thinking about R-Serenity's dream." Helios paused.

"Do you have any idea how you're going to pull it off?" Mars asked eagerly.

"Well I was going to write a note, apologizing to her, explain that I still love her and for her to be at her balcony with the black cloak at 9:00 p.m. and I was planning on getting a black cloak and leaving the note and cloak on her bed for her to find."

"Ooh, so mysterious and romantic! We'll have to make sure that we send her to bed at 8:30 or so and not go anywhere near her room." Venus said, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Are you sure you're up to tonight?" Mercury asked, slipping into doctor mode.

"Yes, I'm sure, Mercury." Helios replied, serious.

"Well, then we'll have to scare up a black cloak her size and get it and your note on her bed somehow." Endymion stated, happy that Helios had not suffered any lasting damage.

"I'll get the cloak!" Jupiter chimed.

"And I'll sneak them into her room!" Mars stated, her violet eyes sparkling with excitement. So Mercury fetched Helios paper and pen, and every turned away as Helios wrote down his message. Folding the note in half and writing 'Rena' on the front, Helios spoke.

"Okay I'm done." The teen said, and everyone turn back around. As he handed the note to Mars, Helios admonished, "No peaking!" the girls laughed and Endymion smiled at the priest's serious, yet humorous tone.

"Okay, hate to cut this short but Usako and I have to go to the birthday party the city is putting on for her and Serenity." Endymion said as he and Serenity prepared to leave.

"Good luck tonight, Helios!" Serenity said as she started walking away.

"Take good care of my little girl and have fun!" Endymion said, following his wife out of the infirmary. The senshi then bid the young man goodbye as well.

Helios set an alarm for 7:00 p.m., knowing that he was still running short on sleep and that he wasn't going to get any tonight.

Serenity didn't suspect a thing the whole day. Around noon, she felt sleepy though, so with an apology to everyone, she went up to her room to take a nap. Once there, however, she spied a dark bundle with a note pinned to it in the middle of her bed.

Curious, Serenity crawled onto her bed and picked up the note. And her breath caught; there on the front was the name 'Rena'. Knowing it must be from Helios, Serenity opened it with shaking hands. Reading the note, Serenity felt her heart sprout wings and fly into heaven.

_He still loves me! And he wants to meet me tonight. Maybe he'll… argh, bad Serenity, get your mind out of the gutter!_ The pink haired teen admonished herself as she picked up the cloak and hugged it to her breast.

_I'll do it. I don't care if I get in trouble; I want to be with Helios._ With that though, Serenity hid the note and cloak and settled down for a nap.

Waking up, Helios pulled on a new set of robes that one of his maenads obviously brought for him and pulled on his cloak. Making sure no one was there to see him, the priest walked out of the infirmary, keeping the hood up and cloak closed on the off chance that someone saw him.

He made it down to the stables no problem and found the black stallion Serenity had dreamed of. Endymion was standing at the beast's head, waiting for him.

"Good luck. I know Nightdream will be perfect for you." The king said, handing Nightdream's reins to the younger man. "The clearing actually now has a small, one room cottage, just big enough for a bed and some space. And there are some light crystals that will light, brighten, and dim at your mental command." The king added then left as Helios easily swung himself onto the stallion's saddled back.

Checking the time, Helios saw that it was 8:20. Time to get into position. Nudging the horse, Helios rode silently out of the stable and to Serenity's garden. Waiting in the shadows near one of the exits, Helios settled himself in the saddle and straightened his cloak.

Waiting for 9:00, Helios occupied himself with keeping Nightdream quiet and running over Serenity's dream in his head, changing a few things and remembering what she wanted him to do in others. Finally the palace clock struck nine. After the clock fell silent, Helios looked up at Serenity's balcony and saw with relief a pink clad, pink haired figure.

Nudging Nightdream's sides, Helios sent the horse towards the balcony. As he neared the balcony, Helios sped Nightdream up into a light trot. Deciding to change up the dream a bit, Helios looked up and saw that Serenity had spotted him.

"Rena!" Helios called softly, just loud enough for his love to hear.

"Helios! You came!" Helios' heart soared at the joy in his Rena's sweet soprano voice.

"Of course I came. Come before your parents or the senshi discover us." Helios called, grinning to himself. _If only she knew that it was her parents and the senshi that set this whole thing up._ Serenity giggled at the thrill of doing what she wasn't supposed to, swung the cloak on and climbed down the ladder of ivy next to her balcony.

Helios maneuvered Nightdream around so she could easily drop down onto the horse. In no time, Serenity was sitting in front of Helios. She straightened her cloak so it fully covered her signature pink dress and then wrapped her arms around Helios' warm chest for balance, since she was sitting side saddle.

"Hold on, Rena, here we go." Helios whispered into her delicate ear. Feeling her shiver in anticipation, the cloaked priest directed Nightdream out of the garden and palace. As they raced to the forest, Helios felt like laughing in exhilaration, he was so happy and carefree. Settling for a small smile, Helios felt Serenity bury her head in his chest and nuzzle him slightly.

"Where are we going, Helios?" (In case you're wondering: Helios doesn't have a pet name cause he never had a civilian name that could be shortened and his name isn't long enough for me to shorten into something appropriate.) Serenity asked softly, looking around as Nightdream slowed to a trot and entered the forest.

"Some place special. You'll see in a minute, Rena." Helios responded, echoing what his dream self said. In a minute or so, the pair did indeed come into the clearing. It was exactly as Serenity dreamed it, except there was also a tiny cottage near one edge of the clearing. Coming to a stop, Helios dismounted and then helped Serenity off. Her hood came off, but she didn't care. She was too busy taking in the beauty, and Helios was happy to be able to see her awestruck face.

As she walked into the middle of the clearing, Helios unsaddled Nightdream, tethered him so he could reach both the water trough and the sweet grass. Helios placed the saddle just inside the cottage, out of the way. Coming out of the building, Helios lowered his own hood and stepped up behind Serenity. She had pulled her hair out from underneath her cloak, he noted as she leaned up against him trustingly.

"It's beautiful, Helios. Like a piece of Elysion." She twisted around to look into his face. Her crimson eyes alight with wonder, joy and excitement. Helios snaked his left arm around her small waist even as he cupped her cheek with other hand.

"Just like you Rena." Helios said, moving his hand to her chin and gently tilting her head up. Angling his head and lowering it, Helios pressed his lips onto her full, soft ones. He felt her rise up onto her toes so he strengthened his grip around her waist to help her balance. The kiss was short but felt like a lifetime. Pulling his lips away, he opened his eyes as she did the same. He could see her hunger for more but another need shone in her eyes. A need for her to hear him say something. And he knew just what it was.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." He said softly, seeing her eyes light up with understanding.

"I forgive you Helios. I know you were hurting yourself as much as you hurt me. And you came back for me, that makes all the difference in the world." She softly replied.

"I love you, my Rena." He said and saw her eyes fairly burn with joy and love. "I want to share my love with you, tonight." Helios waited with baited breath for her response.

"Oh, Helios, I love you too! And that sounds like the best idea I ever heard." She added as Helios' heart soared. Smiling, Helios leaned down and captured her lips. She gasped in delight and Helios took advantage of her open lips. He deepened the kiss, hearing her moan her pleasure. _Oh, Kami. This is ten time__s__ better than I imagined it would be._ Helios thought as their tongues danced together an ancient dance.

Unfortunately, both realized they needed to breathe. So regretfully both broke the kiss, panting. Helios opened his eyes to gaze at his princess. Her face was flushed, her lips red and swollen from his kiss and her eyes dark with desire. The crescent Moon on her forehead glowed a deeper gold, mirroring her eyes.

Smiling, Helios started guiding his love to the cottage door, but stopped when he saw the pained look in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Rena?" Helios asked, concerned.

"What if this is all a dream, and not real? I don't think I could bear it if this isn't real." She whispered, a tear rolling slowly down her cheek. Helios felt his heart contract at the sight of her crystalline tear. Raising a hand, he gently rubbed the tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"Rena, this isn't a dream. Trust me, I would know if this were. This is all real. I'm not going to disappear or leave you." He said and saw her fear flow away at his last sentence. _So that was what her fear was. Well I'm not leaving you, my love._ The white haired priest thought. He once again started to lead her to the cottage. They walked hand in hand into the cottage, and at Helios' mental nudge, the light crystals lit so that while the room wasn't bright, they could see easier.

Both teens made love and kept each other up all night, not that the other minded. Both felt that they were living the perfect night together and enjoyed every minute of it. But when the first rays of the sun shone through the tiny window, both realized that they needed to get back to the palace. So slowly they untangled themselves from each other and the bed covers and pulled their clothes back on.

"I'm just wondering how everyone will react to what we did." Serenity said as she toed on her shoes. Glancing over at her lover, who was pulling on his own shoes, Serenity was puzzled to see him grinning. "What?" she asked.

"Your parents and the inner senshi were the ones who thought of it. One of the senshi found out what you imagined the perfect night would be and who it'd be with. So they kidnapped me and I caught on pretty quickly what they were getting at." Helios paused. "Well, as soon as I realized that you still loved me and wanted to be with me, that is." Helios grinned sheepishly at his beloved as he stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Oh. I see. So my parents didn't mind that you were planning to make love with me?" Serenity asked, surprised by this information. By now both teens were walking out of the cottage, Helios carrying the saddle.

"Not at all. They actually encouraged me to do so. Your mother said something about the fact that she had only been 15 or 16 when they first made love." Helios said as he saddled Nightdream. Serenity blushed at the information she had just received. Then Helios had the black stallion saddled and ready to go. He mounted first and then helped her up. Both had their cloaks on and their hoods up.

Leaving the clearing at a trot, the happy couple headed back to the palace. Serenity spoke up when they were almost back inside the palace grounds.

"Helios? Are you going to return to Elysion after we get back?" Helios could hear the sadness and painful hope in her voice, and was glad that he was able to give her the answer she wanted.

"I was talking with your father yesterday and we've come to an agreement. Since he is now king of the solar system, no one is the direct heir to Earth, the Golden Kingdom and Elysion. Just as your mother is the queen of the solar System and you are the princess of the Silver Kingdom and Moon, Endymion has named me prince of Earth, Elysion and the Golden Kingdom." Helios stated with a smile. Serenity squealed with delight and hugged him harder.

"That fantastic Helios! So are you going to be living in the palace now? And who's taking over as high priest of dreams?" Serenity asked eagerly. Helios laughed and answered her.

"Yes, I'm going to be living in the palace from now on. And Peruru is going to be appointed high priest. So he'll get the priest's robes and forehead drop and I'll have to switch to tuxedos, domino masks and a variation on Endymion's prince uniform and armor."

"That's great. And I'm glad Peruru is the one succeeding you as high priest." Serenity said, remembering the sweet, shy fairy she had met when the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen had to defeat the evil witch Badianu. (SuperS movie)

"I'm glad too. And I'll be by your side always." Helios promised, kissing Serenity's crescent Moon mark as Nightdream trotted into the palace grounds.

The End.

**HB here: okay, I know I have updated Born in a while and I haven't gotten up the epilogue on ****Reaching**** Him, but this story got stuck in my head and just wouldn't go away. So I typed it.**

**This is my sequel to Ta****king Charge and is actually not the original**** version of this story.****The difference between the two?**** Well the original story 'The Perfect Night'****IS a lemon, whereas**** this one is just le****mony scented.****And sorry about the ****Disney-****esque**** title, but this is the alternate version of the original**** and it was the best I could think of**

**And with Serenity's chronological age in the beginning?**** I looked up about how old she was during the end of I think the s or supers season in the manga. She was celebrating her 906****th**** birthday I think in Chibiusa's picture dairy at the end of one of the volumes. **

**So I figure once she got back to the future, she aged properly and will continue to do so until her mid twenties (physically of course). Hence, I decided that she would be about 18 physically on her 914****th**** birthday. This ****is just a gues****stimate**** okay? No flaming me if I got her age wrong got it? **

**Anyway, hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know mine was. ****Can't think of anything else to type.**

**Ja**** ne!**


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